I Can’t Sleep - Mattresses | Gentle Bedtime Reading for Sleep

Episode Date: August 28, 2023

Unwind with this calm bedtime reading as Benjamin explores the history and design of mattresses, helping you relax and ease insomnia. You’ll learn how people have rested through the ages, from ancient sleeping surfaces to the modern innovations that bring comfort today. Benjamin’s soothing cadence transforms details about materials and construction into peaceful storytelling that reduces stress and quiets the mind. This isn’t whispering or hypnosis—just gentle, fact-filled narration designed to guide you into rest. Press play, settle in, and drift into sleep with this soft exploration of mattresses. Want More? Request a Topic: https://www.icantsleeppodcast.com/request-a-topic Ad-Free Episodes: https://icantsleep.supportingcast.fm/ Shop Sleep-Friendly Products: https://www.icantsleeppodcast.com/sponsors Join the Discussion on Discord: https://discord.gg/myhGhVUhn7 This content is derived from the Wikipedia article on Mattresses, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. Read the full article: Wikipedia – Mattresses. Happy sleeping! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to a Glassbox media podcast. What if I told you that most of the modern day self-help advice you've been hearing could actually make you worse? The key to a better life isn't about feel-good gimmicks that sound catchy. The Mentally Stronger Podcast gives you access to a licensed therapist who shares science-backed tools that will actually change your life. Hi, I'm Amy Morin, psychotherapist, mental strength trainer, and international best-selling author. In each episode, we cover research-back strategies, like how to stop relying on willpower and start creating habits for lasting change. And the five mental strength-building exercises you can do from your couch.

I also speak to world-class experts like Dr. Nicole Kane, who shares how to permanently heal anxiety by addressing the root cause. With over 200 episodes in our catalog, this podcast is for you if you're ready to crush self-doubt, conquer challenges, and become stronger than ever with therapist-approved strategies that can change your life. Listen to Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast, where I read random articles from across the web to bore you to sleep with my soothing voice. I'm your host, Benjamin Boster. Today's episode is from a Wikipedia article titled Mattress.

A mattress is a large, usually rectangular pad for supporting a lying person. It is designed to be used as a bed or on a bed frame as part of a bed. Mattresses may consist of a quilted or similarly fastened case, usually of heavy cloth containing materials such as hair, straw, cotton, foam rubber, or a framework of metal springs. mattresses may also be filled with air or water. Mattresses are usually placed on top of a bed base, which may be solid, as in the case of a platform bed or elastic,

such as an upholstered wood and wire box spring, or a slatted foundation. Popular in Europe, a divan incorporates both mattress and foundation in a single upholstered footed unit. Devans have at least one interstate. spring layer, as well as cushioning materials. They may be supplied with a secondary mattress or a removable topper. Mattresses may also be filled with air or water or a variety of natural fibers, such as in futons. K. Pakak is a common mattress material in Southeast Asia and Koyer in South Asia.

The word mattress derives from the Arabic matra, which means something thrown down. down, or place where something is thrown down, and hence, mad cushion. During the Crusades, Europeans adopted one of the Middle Eastern methods of sleeping on cushions on the floor, since sleeping on beds in the Middle East was for the wealthy. The word Materas eventually descended into Middle English through the romance languages. The oldest known mattress dates to around 77,000 years ago, and is from South Africa. Early mattresses contained a variety of natural materials, including straw, feathers, or horsehair. In the first half of the 20th century, a typical mattress sold in North America had an inner spring core and cotton batting or fiberfill.

Modern mattresses usually contain either an inner spring core or materials, such as latex, viscoelastic, or other flexible polyurethane foams. Other fill components include insulator pads over the coils that prevent the bed's upholstery layers from cupping down into the inner spring, as well as a polyester fiber fill in the bed's top upholstery layers. In 1890, James Marshall introduced the first individually wrapped-pocketed spring coil mattress, now commonly known as Marshall Coils. In North America, the typical mattress sold today is an in in America. spring. However, there is increasing interest in all foam beds and hybrid beds, which include both an inner spring and high-end foams, such as viscoelastic or latex in the comfort layers. In Europe, polyurethane foam cores and latex cores have long been popular. These make up a much larger proportion of the mattresses sold in the continent. A conventional mattress consists of two primary sections.

a core or support layer and the upholstery or comfort layer wrapped in a thick fabric called ticking. Appulestry layers cover the mattress and provide cushioning and comfort. The upholstery layer consists of three parts, the insulator, the middle upholstery, and the quilt. Mattresses are typically made to conform to bed sizing standards that vary by market. The size of a mattress varies between national standards in width and height and depth. Many countries use non-numeric labels, such as king, queen, double, full, or single to represent these dimensions. A mattress topper is a thin mattress, usually 5 to 10 centimeters or 2 to 4 inches thick. Stand-alone mattresses of this size exist.

But mattress topers are usually sold for use. on top of box springs, secured with straps or elasticated cloth corners. They are used to extend the life of the more expensive box spring. Make a bed warmer or cooler with airflow or heat conductive materials. Make a firm bed softer, and for travel and dorms, as they are portable, especially if they are low density. Like a mattress protector, mattress pad, mattress, cover, a thin, generally unpadded layer not designed to improve comfort,

mattress topper, can be used to protect the mattress from the sleeper or vice versa. Some mattress toppers are machine washable. Covers and fillings are made from a range of materials. A tick mattress is a bag made of ticking, a type of cloth, filled with some suitable material. A pylos or a feather bed is a tick mattress. as are most voutons. They are simply constructed and were traditionally homemade.

Because they are fairly thin and light, they are layered to form a bed. Inner spring mattresses commonly consist of just the spring core and the top and bottom upholstery layers. The core of the mattress supports the sleeper's body. Modern spring mattress cores, often called inner springs,

are made up of steel coil springs. or coils. The gauge of the coils is one factor which determines firmness and support. Coils are measured in quarter increments. The lower the number, the thicker the spring. In general, higher-quality mattress coils have a 14-gauge diameter. Coils of 14 to 15.5 gauge give more easily under pressure, while a 12.5-5-gauge coil, the thickest typically available, feels quite firm.

Connections between the coils help the mattress retain its shape. Most coils are connected by interconnecting wires. Encazed coils are not connected, but the fabric encasement helps preserve the mattress shape. There are four types of mattress coils. Bonel coils are the old. oldest and most common. First adapted from buggy seat springs of the 19th century, they are still

prevalent in mid-priced mattresses. Bonel springs are a knotted, round-top hourglass-shaped steel wire coil. When laced together with cross-wire helicles, these coils form the simplest inner spring unit, also referred to as a Bonel unit. Offset coils are an hourglass-type coil in which portions of the top and bottom convolutions have been flattened. In assembling the inner spring unit, these flat segments of wire are hinged together with helical wires. The hinging effect of a unit is designed to conform to body shape. LFK coils are an unknotted offset coil with a cylindrical or columnar shape.

Continuous coils, the Leggett and Pratt brand name, is Mira Coil. is an inner spring configuration in which the rows of coils are formed from a single piece of wire. They work in a hinging effect similar to that of offset coils. Marshall coils, also known as wrapped or encased coils or pocket springs, are thin gauge, barrel-shaped, notless coils individually encased in fabric pockets, normally a fabric from man-made non-woven fiber. Some manufacturers pre-compress these coils, which makes the mattress firmer and allows for motion separation between the sides of the bed. As the springs are not wired together, they work more or less independently.

The weight on one spring does not affect its neighbors. More than half the consumers who participated in a survey had chosen to buy pocket spraying mattresses. Aupulstery layers cover the mattress and provide cushioning and comfort. Some manufacturers call the mattress core the support layer and the upholstery layer the comfort layer. The upholstery layer consists of three parts, the insulator, the middle upholstery, and the quilt. The insulator separates the mattress core from the middle upholstery. It is usually made of fiber or mesh and is intended to keep the middle upholstery in place. The middle upholstery comprises all the material between the insulator and the quilt.

It is usually made from materials which are intended to provide comfort to the sleeper, including flexible polyurethane foam, which includes convoluted egg-grade foam, fiscolastic foam, latex foam, felt, polyester fiber, cotton fiber, wool fiber, and non-woven fiber pads. In Europe and North America, mattress makers have begun incorporating gel-infused foams, soft solid gels layered over foam, and poured gels in the top comfort layer of the bed. The quilt is the top layer of the mattress, made of light foam or fibers stitched to the underside of the ticking. It provides a soft surface texture to the mattress and can be found in varying degrees of firmness. There are three main types of foundation or bed base.

A traditional box spring consists of a rigid frame containing extra heavy-duty springs. This foundation is often paired with an inner spring mattress, as it extends the life of the spring unit at the mattresses core. An all-wood foundation usually has seven or eight support slats disposed below paperboard or beaver board. This foundation, variously called a no-flex, low-flex, or zero-deflection unit, as well as an ortho-box, provides support similar to a platform foundation. Allwood foundations have become increasingly prevalent as U.S. mattress makers shifted to super-thick, one-sided mattresses.

A grid-top foundation bed base is a type of bed foundation that features a grid-light structure made of metal or wood slats. The slats are spaced apart to provide support for a mattress and improve airflow to keep the mattress cool and dry. This type of bed base is often used as an alternative to traditional box springs, which may be less durable and may not provide adequate support for heavier mattresses. Grid top foundation bed bases are typically more durable and may offer greater stability for the mattress. The grid top design also allows for better weight distribution and can reduce pressure points which can be beneficial for people with back pain or joint issues.

Additionally, the open design of the foundation can make it easier to move and store compared to bulkier box springs. Typically, the measurements of a foundation will be about one to two inches shorter than the measurement of a mattress. Ticking is the protective fabric cover used to encase mattresses and foundations. It is usually designed to coordinate with the foundation border fabric and comes in a wide variety of colors and styles. Mattress fabrics can be nits, damask, or printed wovens, or inexpensive non-wovens.

During the past decade, along with the rise in popularity of all foam beds, Stretchy knit ticking on the bed's top panel has become a standard look on both inner spring and foam beds. Most ticking is made with polyester yarns. More expensive mattress fabrics may contain a combination of polyester with rayon, cotton, silk, wool, or other natural yarns. Up until the early 2000s, beds were normally upholstered with a single fabric. This was usually a damask ticking or, for inexpensive bed sets, a non-woven fabric, covering all surfaces of the mattress and foundation. Today's bed sets are covered with up to six different fabrics. A better quality circular knit or woven damask on the top panel, the bed's sleeping surface,

a matching or contrasting, usually woven fabric on the border of the mattress, a matching or contrasting, usually woven fabric on the foundation side panels, a non-skid-woven or non-woven fabric on the surface of the foundation, and reverse side of the mattress, and a non-woven dust cover on the underside of the foundation. Some North American mattress producers are beginning to use furniture upholstery fabrics on the bed's borders, giving beds a more European home furnishings look.

All foam mattresses use different weights and densities of petrochemical-based flexible polyurethane foams, and viscoelastic foams or memory foam, and latex rubber foams. A number of mattress manufacturers have incorporated polyurethane and visco-elastic foams with a portion of plant-based content. All foam mattresses are often paired with platform bases. Latex foam and mattresses are often paired with platform bases. Mattresses is generally a blend of the latex of the heavier Brassiliences tree and synthetic latex, which is derived from petrochemicals and other substances and fillers.

There are, however, natural latex mattresses that leave out polyurethane-based chemicals. Latex foam is produced using either the Tallulay or the Dunlop process. Memory foam mattresses use conforming viscoelastic foam, over firmer polyurethane base foam. Some inner spring mattresses have memory foam in their upholstery layer. Different feels and comfort levels are achieved by varying the thickness, weight, and formulation of the viscoelastic foams and the base foams. Latex and memory foam mattresses each provide a unique feel. This type of mattress is good at relieving pressure on painful joints.

Many memory foam mattresses are more expensive than standard spring mattresses. Memory foam is affected by temperature. In a cool bedroom, a memory foam mattress will feel firmer than it does in a warm bedroom. Memory softens and conforms to the sleeper in response to body temperature and body weight. Traditional memory foam molds to the body creating a depression the sleeper must roll out of when changing sleep positions. Mattress manufacturers have responded to this issue by using faster response memory foams. They spring back more quickly when the sleep removes. Foam mattresses are also known to generally sleep warmer than inner spring mattresses.

Mattress makers have addressed the issue with open-cell memory foams, pinhole cord memory foam, gel-infused memory foams, channel-cut foam cores, articulated foam support layers, and other technologies to improve air circulation through all foam beds. Similar to memory foam mattresses, a high-density foam mattress uses a more compact foam typically made from polyurethane. This kind of foam is made largely from open cells that are packed together tightly. High-density foam mattresses offer comfort and longevity because they are more dense than a traditional foam mask. High-density foam mattresses that have an inner spring system last even longer and eliminate mattress sagging.

Mattresses can also be made from bladders of some fluid, notably water or air. These date to antiquity, goat skin bladders filled with water were used in Persia at least as early as 3600 BCE, and gained increased popularity in the 20th century with improved manufacturing. Air mattresses use one or more air chambers instead of springs to provide support. Quality and price can range from inexpensive ones used occasionally for camping to high-end luxury beds. Air mattresses designed for typical bedroom use cost about the same as inner spring mattresses with comparable features. Air bladder construction varies from a simple polyethylene bag to internally baffled, multiple chambers of latex, vulcanized rubber, or vinyl with bonded cotton exteriors.

Mattresses may have a layer of foam above the air chambers for added cushioning and may be enclosed in a cover. Some such beds are termed soft-sided airbeds. Permanent use, adjustable firmness air beds became popular particularly after market leader Select Comfort began a major marketing campaign around 2001. The original air bed was manufactured by Comfort Air in 1981, which was later purchased by Select Comfort. There are several other manufacturers. Some allow independent adjustment of each side of the bed. They are made in a variety of models from basic no frills ones that measure about 7 inches in height, to high-profile 15-inch tall hybrids that contain several types of foam, pillow tops, and digital pumps with memory for individual pressure settings.

Studies suggest that adjustable firmness beds are better for back pain. Adjustable firmness mattresses for medical use have special control mechanisms. In the 1990s, self-adjusting airbeds that automatically change their pressure. pressure periodically, or inflate and deflate several air chambers alternately were introduced. The intention of these periodic changes is to reduce problems with decubitous ulcers, bed sores, though as of 2008 the effectiveness of these techniques was still being researched. Air mattresses for camping are available, which are filled with foam, which itself provides little support, but expands when the air valve is opened allowing air to enter, so the mattress nearly

inflates by itself. This is especially useful for campers who carry their equipment, as unlike with normal air mattresses, no pump is needed for inflating. Available brands include Aerobed, Coleman, Thermarrest, and others. A waterbed is a mattress with water in its interior instead of metal coils or air. Waterbeds can be lined with different layers of fiber to achieve the level of firmness the user desires. Water beds are well known for providing support to the spine and other body parts, similar to the other mattress types.

There are several options of support which range up to 100% waveless where the user does not notice that they are lying upon a waterbed. Many parameters determine the quality of a mattress. Laboratory test methods have been established for some of these parameters, such as pressure distribution, skin microclimate, hygiene, edge support, and long-term stability. Some of these have been developed by Duncan Bain, working on behalf of the UK's medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency. Other parameters such as firmness are more specific to the sleeper. In general, firm mattresses are recommended for stomach and some back sleepers.

Soft mattresses are recommended for side sleepers, and medium mattresses are recommended for the majority of back sleepers. Double mattresses are available with a softer and a firmer part, or with adjustable firmness levels, to accommodate sleepers with different preferences who share a bed. In 2003, a randomized controlled trial found the medium-firm mattress assessed using the H's scale from the European Committee for Standardization were associated with less pain. This study has been cited by clinical practice guidelines on lower back pain. In 2015,

a systematic review of studies concluded that medium-firm, custom-inflated mattresses were best for pain and neutral spinal alignment. The term mattress lifespan refers to the duration in which all types of mattresses can retain their original support and comfort. Mattresses deteriorate over time, and the lifespan of a mattress depends on a variety of factors, notably materials, manufacturing quality, care, and the rigorousness of use. A poor-quality foam comfort layer can deteriorate noticeably in one year, while a quality latex core can last 20 years or more. Inner spring cores typically last around 10 years.

The comfort layer is almost invariably the first area to fail, which is why mattresses are often double-sided to extend the lifespan. A separate topper may be used instead of or in addition to a comfort layer, which reduces wear and is replaceable without replacing the entire mattress. The majority of high-end mattresses have a lifespan of between 7 to 10 years, but it can last beyond 10 years and more depending on the level of care. In the United States, mattress warranties are typically for 10 years or 20 years, sometimes 25 years, though this specifically addresses manufacturing defects and faster than normal deterioration, not expected deterioration with time. In the United States, as of 2008, there is a general expectation that mattresses should last about 10 years, and this is the average number of years Americans keep mattresses,

though this varies by age group. This expectation is based on a number of factors, including sales pitches, the expectation that mattresses will last the length of their warranty, hence 10 years or 20 years accordingly, and comparison with other household items. The mattress replacement cycle is a key driver of income and profits for the mattress industry. A five-year replacement cycle yields double the sales of a 10-year replacement cycle, for instance. so the mattress industry has a financial incentive to shorten the replacement cycle. Notably, the International Sleep Products Association, ISPA, established the Better Sleep Council, BSC, in 1979,

with the stated goal to shorten the mattress replacement cycle, in addition to encouraging people to invest in better betting. An industry-funded 2006 study by researchers at Oklahoma State University, funded by the BSC, of 59 people with poor sleep who received free new replacement mattresses for their existing mattresses five years or older, average age nine and a half years, found improved sleep, particularly when the existing mattresses were cheap. A follow-up paper by some of the same authors with additional statistical analysis reinforced these conclusions.

The BSC has subsequently cited this study in the ISPA published news magazine for mattress manufacturers, bedtimes, to advocate a more frequent replacement cycle, specifically to consider replacing a mattress every five to seven years. The recommendation is based largely on this study. Where problems occur with most mattresses and can include sagging, mildew, and staining. These are prevented by proper support. rotation and flipping, keeping it dry and using a mattress pad or protector. Some symptoms of a broken or worn out mattress include springs which can be felt poking through the upholstery layer, visible permanent sagging or deformity, lumpiness, and excessive squeaking.

Mattresses require a solid foundation which does not itself sag. A sagging foundation, such as by weak slats on a wide bed, will interpret. turn cause the mattress to sag. Consistently sleeping in the same place and body position causes excessive wear, and thus rotating or flipping mattresses, is used to reduce this. Double-sided mattresses can be alternately flipped width-wise, about the long axis, and length-wise, about the shorter axis, or alternately flipped and rotated, while single-sided mattresses are only rotated, which is simpler but less effective.

Flipping or rotation schedules vary between materials and manufacturers, but typically recommended as monthly for the first six months, and every two or three months thereafter. Foundations should also be rotated if possible, though less frequently. Rotating box springs twice a year is recommended. While sagging is undesirable, some level of indentation, about eight-scent. centimeters is natural if natural materials are used in a comfort layer. Excessive wear on mattresses can occur when folding and bending takes place, placing heavy objects in one spot, or excess force on the handles will also cause more rapid deterioration. Care should particularly be taken

during transport or storage.